Qatar’s Ambassador to Greece H E Abdulaziz Ali Al Naama (pictured) stressed that the State of Qatar is able to endure the situation caused by the siege for a long time.

In an interview with the Greek newspaper ‘The Editors’ the ambassador said “We are preparing to present 3,000 lawsuits from individuals and 600 files in Qatar Chamber of Commerce to international courts. He pointed out that the State of Qatar has filed a complaint to the World Trade Organization (WTO) against the trade embargo imposed by the siege countries to avoid the repercussions and economic damage caused by the siege.

He explained that Qatar filed this complaint after losing hope that the siege countries would reconsider their positions, which is contrary to social norms and international laws. The Ambassador said that the siege countries “have only two options; either to negotiate with the Qatari government within 60 days, or to face trade sanctions and international banks’ refrain from dealing with them if the World Trade Organization rules in favour of Qatar”. He pointed out that the siege countries have also begun to suffer, as some international banks started offering their services to Qatar through their London and New York centers instead of Dubai because of the difficulties imposed by the Gulf crisis.

On the implications of the Convention on Combating Terrorism signed recently by Qatar and the US , the Ambassador said that the significance of this agreement stems from the facts that the major powers recognise the State of Qatar as a party to the international coalition against extremism and terrorism, Qatar’s continued fulfilment of its international obligations to promote international peace and security, its efforts to settle disputes through peaceful means and its international and bilateral counter-terrorism efforts. He noted that “the State of Qatar has provided educational opportunities for more than 7 million children and created more than 300,000 jobs to give hope to those at risk of being recruited by terrorist groups”.

On the implications of the return of the Qatari ambassador to Tehran, Al Naama said that the return reflects Qatar’s desire to develop its relations with Iran, adding that his is reflected in the Qatari Foreign Ministry’s statement, which announced the resumption of diplomatic relations between Doha and Tehran, where the State of Qatar expressed its aspiration to strengthen bilateral relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran in all fields.